Chapter Text
Karen wheeler is a straight woman.
At least that’s what she told herself throughout the entire day.
When she woke up and looked at Teds face next to hers ,when she did the laundry ,when she was cooking ,when she was driving her kids to school. The other thing that was on her mind constantly was that she loves her life. She knows that she’s lying to herself.
She does love her children ,she really does but she just wishes she wasn’t basically raising them alone.
Because that was her reality. Ted sat in his chair while drinking beer for most of the day while she did everything that had to be done around the house. She hadn’t even liked her current husband back in highschool ,when they started dating ,Karen was only in it for the sex but she had soon realised that that was mediocre just as ted. If she hadn’t gotten pregnant she could’ve been with someone else ,a nicer man…or woman. Karen pushed that thought away as quickly as she could.
Later that night at the dinner table Mike speaks up ,breaking the silence. “Mom my friends are coming over to play dnd later tonight…that’s okay right?”
Karen nods “of course ,as long as you go to bed before ten okay?”
Ted starts to protest and Karen is trying to keep herself from rolling her eyes ,Nancy very clearly noticed that.
“Is that really a good plan ,doesn’t the boy have a test tomorrow?”
She clenched her fist under the table.
“Well I’m sure Mike studied incredibly well ,besides what’s the harm in him playing a game with his friends.”
Her husband grunts. “Fine as long as they keep quiet.”
“They sure will.”
Ted stands up from the table and walks to the the fridge. He disappears into the living room and Karen hears the tv turn on.
He left just like that ,without thanking her for making food ,without putting his plate in the sink. She scoffs.
“Are you okay mom?”
“Yes ,yes of course I am.”
“Can I go?”
Karen nods. And Mike sprints down to the basement to set up his game of dungeons and dragons.
Karen turns to Nancy ,whose plate is empty and basically scraped clean.
“Nance if you want to you can go up to your room ,you know that right?”
Nancy nervously scrapes her fork over her plate ,the noise is annoying and she immediately puts her fork down.
“Yeah I know I just wanted to ask you something.”
“Go ahead.”
“Can I maybe go to a party tonight?”
Karen’s thoughts drifted away from the conversation ,she used to be a major party girl. Her and Joyce. She grins at the thought. Joyce and her used to kiss at parties ,back in the day. Karen knew it didn’t mean anything to Joyce. Because she was straight ,unlike Karen. And even if it had meant anything back then it sure wouldn’t mean anything to Joyce now. They had both changed ,perhaps for the better but maybe for the-“hello mom?”
Karen snaps out of her thoughts.
“What?”
“The party, can I go?”
“Whose party is it.”
“Well it’s more of a get together at Steve’s house to be honest.”
“If you’re home before midnight, if you’re even a second late you’re grounded understand?”
Nancy nods.
“Thanks mom!”
She stands up and walks out of the kitchen.
When Karen hears footsteps going up the stairs she sighs.
She grabs all of the plates and takes them to the sink.
When she turns back around Mike is standing there.
She gasps loudly.
“You scared me!”
He completely ignores the statement and leans down on the counter.
“Can you do me a favour?”
“Depends.”
“Depends on what?”
“Just tell me Mike.”
“Look ,Will told me that Joyce and hopper broke up and well…Joyce is sad about it so I was just wondering if you can have her stay over and you can drink a glass of wine together instead of alone like you usually do.”
Karen blinks slowly. There’s no way Mike knew about her and Joyce’s past.
“Honey I don’t think that that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Well Joyce and I aren’t really friends anymore.”
“She needs someone and I figured it might as well be you.”
She chuckles.
“I’ll think about it okay?”
Mike nods and right at that moment the doorbell rings.
Karen is hoping it’s not Joyce yet ,she’s never been good at making split second decisions.
Luckily the face that appears when she opens the door is Dustin’s.
“Hi missus wheeler!”
“Oh how many times have I told you now Dustin ,just call me Karen. She says it in a jokingly manner but she’s always hated being called by her last name ,it never felt like hers. It just felt like another extension of Ted that she couldn’t escape from.
“You boys can go to the basement already ,you don’t have to wait up here it’ll just bore you.”
The boys run down the stairs that lead to the basement ,the last thing she hears is something about dungeons and dragons that she doesn’t quite get. She sighs and walks to the living room. “Ted go upstairs.”
He doesn’t look away from the tv. “What?”
“I said go upstairs.”
Karen decided she didn’t care anymore,their marriage was basically ruined already ,nothing would change that so why bother being nice to him when the kids aren’t around. “Well what’s there to do upstairs there’s no television there.”
She leans against the doorframe.
“Read a book ted”
Ted mumbles something unhearable before standing up ,or struggling to do so.
Normally Karen would’ve helped him get up but not this time.
When he finally disappeared up the stairs she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.
The doorbell rang again.
This time it was Lucas ,he had biked there by himself. He greets her quickly and then runs down into the basement. She closes the door and sits down. The process repeats again ,she hears the doorbell ring but this time she knows there’s only one person left. When the opens the door again she barely looks at will and just stares at Joyce for a while without saying anything.
“Hi.”
“Hey.”
Will runs in to the house immediately.
Joyce yells at him “say hello to Karen first!”
“I’m sorry…hello Karen.” After that he continues to run towards his friends.
“Sorry..”-Joyce apologises.-“I’m not sure what’s gotten into him.”
“He’s probably just exited to see his friends ,they’re all growing up so quickly…”
“They are aren’t they…”
An awkward silence is what follows.
“I should probably leave I have…things to do.”
“Don’t leave.”
Joyce looks confused, she and Karen weren’t friends anymore and definitely not for Joyce’s lack of trying.
“Please just come in and have a glass of wine with me.”
“Like back in the day?”
Karen nods and hopes she truly doesn’t misunderstand what she thinks Joyce is insinuating.
Joyce considers the offer for a couple of seconds.
“Yeah ,yes I mean one glass what’s the harm in that right.”